Our Trip to Languedoc, France

Greetings everyone and welcome to my lovely wife Paula and I's new travel blogsite, Rose Travel Adventures!  Just in case you were wondering, Paula is an absolute expert in growing the most exquisite roses; hence our blogsite's name honors her special gift.  Paula and I are seasoned travellers, but we are now embarking on a new quest, travel blogging.  We're just getting started, so bear with us as we document our overseas travels. We'll be adding more journal entries from our trip, but below are highlights from the first 4 days of our recent excursion to the beautiful Languedoc region of France. It was an absolutely magical time during which we participated in a custom tour conducted by Mystical Magdalene Sacred Tours.

Day 1: We left our home city of Mobile, Alabama, and flew to Paris, France, via connecting flights in Nashville, Tennessee, and New York. After arriving in Paris exhausted from our trip, we took a taxi to the exquisite Le Bellingham Hotel, where we would spend the night. The next morning we met up with the remaining four members of our small tour group for a delightful breakfast. Shortly after eating, our tour leaders, Blaine and Eva Eden, arrived to greet us. Blaine and Eva are a husband and wife team from Mystical Magdalene Sacred Tours and were reported to be their most experienced and knowledgeable guides. Our time with them only convinced us more of the truth of their reputation.

Day 2:  We boarded our tour small European tour bus in Paris and headed out for the long trip to the Languedoc region. Along the way, Blaine and Eva provided entertaining insights into the land where many believe Mary Magdalene once lived and a region where Mary is a most popular saint. Our initial destination was the hilltop village Rennes-le-Chateau which is well known to be the home of the famous Church of Saint Mary Magdalene which is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Late in the evening we arrived at the Walker de France B & B outside of Rennes-le-Chateau and retired for the night. It was an exciting, but tiring day of travel across the French countryside.

Rennes-le-Chateau

Day 3:  The next day's itinerary found us visiting sacred sites located in and around Rennes-le-Chateax including of course the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene and Tour Magdala.

Church of Saint Mary Magdalene

Tour Magdala

After information packed visits to the sites we dined in the quaint Le Rose Cafe (love the name!) run by a spirited British ex-pat by the name of Sheryl Rose. We had been told her food was legendary throughout Languedoc and we later learned firsthand it was not mere folklore, it was fact! While dining at Le Rose, by chance we met two Catholic priests, Fathers Peter and Marc. They generously took time from their meal to discuss with us some of the spiritual heritage of the village and surrounding region. Each was extremely interesting and shared little known stories about the famous priest Berenger Sauniere who renovated the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene at great expense.

Berenger Sauniere

 Blaine and Eva were able to add richly to the discussion with our "priestly" friends including tales related to Mary Magdalene's influence in the region. Afterwards, we boarded our little tour bus and headed back to Walker de France. We marvelled at what a wonderful time we had that day and how it culminated with the incredible dinner conversation combined with Sheryl's amazing Le Rose cuisine. What an unexpected surprise. Imagine a British ex-pat outdoing the French at their own game--superior food!

Day 4:  The next morning we awoke brimming with excitement for what the day would bring. We set out early from Walker de France to explore many castles and fortifications inhabited centuries ago by the famous Cathars. and learned more about their beliefs regarding Mary Magdalene. While the Roman Catholic Church ruthlessly persecuted the Cathars as heretics, perhaps they would have been only viewed by our modern society as simply as a cult. We visited castle after castle, each one being more intriguing than the one previous. Blaine and Eva provided fascinating historical details all seasoned with wit and entertaining stories that captivated us the entire time. While there were many sites we visited, some of our favorite castles were Chateau d' Agel, Chateau d' Arques, Avignonet, Le Bezu, Chateau Comptal de Carcassonne, and of course, Chateau de Montesegur.



Chataeau de Montesegur





You can find more details about some of these Cathar castles at:  http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/summary.php?Category=(All+Categories)&Type=(All+Properties)&Country=(All+Countries)&Parameter=Cathar

I must say the lofty ramparts and towers associated with many of the castles reminded me of stories of famous personalities from both religious and secular history. There is the Chateau de Chinon in France where Joan of Arc heard heavenly voices and some leading Templar Knights were once imprisoned during the French persecution in the early 1300's.  Another location was Ruthven Castle in Scotland where the famous Mary Queen of Scots once visited.



Ruthven Castle

Finally, the towers also brought to mind a most ignoble historical figure, Queen Jezebel of Israel. Jezebel is known in Jewish lore to have persecuted true prophets of God and has forever since been associated with false prophets. Jezebel met her untimely demise when being thrown from out a tower window at the command of the warrior Jehu. More stories of castles and towers raced through my memory evoking images of other famous places like the Tower of London and figures such as King Arthur and Charlamagne. But I digress! More will be featured soon in our blog on our visit in the land of the Cathars including information on their fight for freedom and the death of many of their people at the hands of crusader's fire.

Circling back to our second day in Languedoc, our travels ended with yet another surprise. Right after dinner in Carcassonne, our tour leaders Blaine and Eva had us pay a visit with old and special friends of theirs who operate a cat rescue and shelter right outside the city. They consider it a ministry to both people and animals by bringing unwanted felines into loving Languedoc homes. While only a short stay, we had a special time visiting with the cats and encouraged them a new home awaited them soon! We checked into our Carcassonne hotel tired from the day, but full of gratitude. What more could await us on Day 5??!!